It’s been quite a busy offseason in the NFL with so much taking place. Free agency got off with a bang as teams and players made deals left, right, and center, and within no time, players found new homes.
While most of the top free agents have joined elsewhere, there are still some more players who could end up signing with new teams. Additionally, trades continue to occur every now and then as the offseason inches closer to the 2026 NFL draft.
2025-26 NFC South Recap
In this article, we will take a look at the NFC South teams and which of the four has the best odds to win the division in the upcoming season. But, before doing that, here is a small recap of the 2025-26 season for some context.
The NFC South was an interesting division last season, with three teams, the Panthers, Buccaneers, and the Falcons, finishing 8-9 on the year. Due to the tiebreak system, it was Carolina that made it to the postseason. The Panthers did well to make the playoffs after struggling for many years to even put together a challenging team.
The Buccaneers, on the other hand, have been the most dominant team in this division for the past few seasons. They were the 4-time reigning division champions and even started the season strong with a 6-2 record at their Week 9 bye week. Things fell apart quickly after that, and the Bucs could win only 2 of their last 9 games.
The Falcons had a very mixed season as they started 3-2, but then lost 5 games on the trot before ending the season on a 4-game win streak.
On the other hand, the Saints struggled mightily at the start of the season. A new head coach, and below-par quarterback play, along with other factors, contributed to them starting 0-4 and then 2-8 heading into their bye week. Eventually, the Saints finished with 6 wins and 11 losses.
NFC South Division Winner Odds 2026-27
In the NFC South, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are favored to clinch the divisional crown for the 2026-27 NFL season, as per the odds on FanDuel. The table below represents the latest division winner odds for the NFC South ahead of the upcoming season.
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2026-27 NFC South Key Changes, Strength of Schedule, and Draft
It’s now time to take a look at some of the key offseason changes that have taken place so far within the division, along with the strength of schedule and draft picks for the NFC South teams for the upcoming season.
Key Offseason Changes
The biggest roster change down south in Tampa was free agent wide receiver Mike Evans signing with the 49ers after a 12-year association with the Bucs. While his departure may be a huge loss, the Buccaneers have strengthened other parts of their roster.
Running back depth has been bolstered with the addition of Kenneth Gainwell. The defense has been further strengthened with the additions of LB Alex Anzalone, DL A’Shawn Robinson and OLB Al-Quadin Muhammad, along with S Miles Killebrew.
Moving on to Atlanta, where the Falcons have hired Kevin Stefanski as their new head coach after firing Raheem Morris. Key departures on the field include those of QB Kirk Cousins, WR Darnell Mooney, and LB Leonard Floyd.
The Falcons have replaced Cousins with former Dolphin, Tua Tagovailoa, who will be the backup to Michael Penix Jr. Other signings include WR and DE Da’Shawn Hand.
With Alvin Kamara’s future uncertain in New Orleans, the Saints have signed Travis Etienne Jr. as their new premier back. The left guard position is stabilized following David Edwards’s 4-year deal, while the tight end room has been strengthened with the signing of Noah Fant.
In Carolina, the Panthers have made key signings on the defensive side of the ball, including edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd. On offense, Carolina signed WR John Metchie III to provide depth to the receivers’ room and signed Kenny Pickett as the backup to Bryce Young.
Strength of Schedule
The strength of schedule for the NFC South teams is a rather mixed one. The defending divisional champions, the Panthers (.521), have the tenth-toughest schedule in the league for the upcoming season.
Further down, the Buccaneers’ schedule (.491) is near the middle of the pack, ranked as the 21st hardest in the league. The Falcons (.465) and the Saints (.434) should have a much easier time, at least on paper. New Orleans has the second-easiest schedule this year, whereas Atlanta has the fifth-easiest.
As for the draft picks for the NFC South teams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are currently holding just 7 selections for the 2026 NFL draft. They have one draft pick per round, giving them 3 in the top 80. Their first round pick is number 15 overall.
The Atlanta Falcons are in a worse situation with just 5 picks in the upcoming draft. Further, they currently do not hold any first-round selection, and they will only be on the clock for the first time in the second round with pick number 48 overall.
The Saints, on the other hand, have a total of 8 picks thus far. As is the case with the Buccaneers, the Saints also hold 3 picks inside the top 80, with their first round selection being the 8th overall pick in the draft. Their next two picks are number 42 and 73 in rounds 2 and 3.
Coming to the Panthers, they currently hold 7 draft picks, including 3 in the top 85. They will be on the clock for the first time for the 19th overall selection, followed by picks number 51 in round 2 and 83 in round 3.
Early prediction: Based on all that has happened so far in the offseason and with the schedule for all teams, it feels like a toss-up between the Bucs and the Falcons. However, we are slightly leaning towards the Falcons under new head coach Kevin Stefanski to take the NFC South in the 2026-27 NFL season.
(The above odds are sourced from FanDuel. Use FanDuel to ace your betting game in all sports!)
I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!
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